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PNS Daily Newscast - March 21, 2019

The nation’s acting Defense Secretary is under investigation for promoting Boeing, his former employer. Also on the Thursday rundown: The Trump administration’s spending blueprint being called a “bully budget.” Plus, a call for the feds to protect consumers from abusive lenders.

Navy's New Warship: Boon or Boondoggle?

May 21, 2012

WASHINGTON - When the Senate Armed Services Committee takes up the new defense budget on Tuesday, an issue that's sure to come up is the Navy's newest warship. Reports of serious design flaws have dogged early versions of the Littoral Combat Ship or LCS, so designated because it is meant for near-shore operations. There are two contracts for the ship, one with General Dynamics in Alabama, the other with Lockheed Martin in Wisconsin.

Ben Freeman, policy analyst with the Project on Government Oversight, thinks the Lockheed Martin contract should be cancelled.

"What we found in our investigation, working with whistle-blowers very close to the Lockheed Martin ship is that there have been far more problems than have been reported. There are numerous cracks; the ship regularly floods because it has a stern door that simply doesn't close."

The group sent a letter to the U.S. House Armed Services Committee detailing the problems, and some members are asking for a review of the Navy's quality-control steps. California Representative Duncan Hunter has added an amendment that demands the Navy explain the problems. But the House committee recommended full funding for the LCS.

At Lockheed Martin, spokesman Keith Little says POGO's information is outdated, and that the company and the Navy are learning from the first ship in what he calls a "totally new class."

"And the Navy and contractors extensively test these ships, purposely to obtain insight only possible through usage."

POGO contends both contracts for the LCS are being maintained for political reasons, because no one wants to kill jobs in either Wisconsin or Alabama. But Freeman says the project already is over budget, and having two different versions of the ship isn't a wise investment of tax dollars.